Telematics is the process of employing technology to remotely monitor data generated from vehicles. It can refer to the monitoring of a single vehicle but is usually used to track information on a company’s mobile fleet. Proper usage of telematics can be instrumental in identifying issues in how your fleet is managed. Addressing these issues will often lead to an increase in the productivity of your fleet.
How Does Telematics Work?
According to teletracnavman.com, there are three main technological components that comprise a telematics system. They are:
- A Global Positioning System (GPS) – The speed, location, and movements of your vehicles can be tracked via a GPS system. You can also enforce geofencing, which constructs a digital boundary and creates areas that your vehicles should not enter.
- Sensors – You can monitor many aspects of in-vehicle behavior including harsh braking, aggressive acceleration, doors being opened, and the temperature of the trailer.
- Engine Diagnostics – The data captured from engine diagnostic systems help develop fleet maintenance programs by monitoring fuel efficiency and odometer readings.
Combining the insights provided by these components can help you improve the reliability and productivity of your drivers and vehicles. Let’s look at a few specific ways that telematics can improve the efficiency of your fleet of vehicles.
Comparing Data Discrepancies in Similar Vehicles
Purchasing fuel for their vehicles is one of a trucking fleet’s major expenses. The ability to use telematics to increase fuel economy will immediately result in benefits to your bottom line. Investigating various drivers’ and vehicles’ fuel consumption can uncover simple methods that can be used to increase your fleet’s fuel economy.
Digging into the numbers may indicate that two identical vehicles are displaying radically different levels of fuel consumption. At this point, you can look further into the data generated by your system and see if other factors related to your drivers is causing this discrepancy. You will likely find that the driver with the lower fuel economy needs to modify their driving habits. This type of analysis on your compete fleet can lead to substantial fuel savings over time.
Improving Safety and Driver Performance
The use of a telematics system can be used to monitor the performance of your drivers and lead to fewer accidents. According to trucker.com, these are some of the ways that data generated by your system can be used:
- Providing feedback on driver behavior such as speeding and hard braking to indicate improvements that must be made to conform to company standards.
- Motivating drivers with bonuses or prizes when they produce better telematic scores.
- Through advanced analytics, devising actions intended to improve driver performance and safety.
A decrease in accidents and speeding tickets can be used to lower the cost of commercial insurance for your fleet.
The mandate that electronic logging devices (ELDs) need to be installed in all vehicles has opened the door to an increased use of telematics for uses other than simply logging miles driven. Fleet owners and managers need to take advantage of the valuable information available to them and use it to improve the efficiency and productivity of their vehicles.
